9-1-1: Lone Star will finally be coming back on the 2024 TV schedule following a very long delay, and there will be some major changes. For starters, the upcoming fifth season of the Fox first responder drama will be the last. It’s a disappointment, but not so much of a surprise, as it was previously reported that Lone Star could be ending after Season 5. On top of that, Sierra McClain will not be back as Grace Ryder. Showrunner Rashad Raisani is opening up about how impactful her departure will be.
McClain’s Grace was one of the first main characters fans were introduced to back in the pilot episode. She was the dispatcher on the 9-1-1 spinoff and no matter if the call was intense, emotional, heartbreaking, or anything along those lines, she always helped as well as she could. Even if she couldn’t, she made sure to be on the line for as long as possible. On top of that, she’s also married to 126 firefighter, Judd Ryder (Jim Parrack), and with their baby girl Charlie, it was like nothing could stop them. Even Judd’s long-lost son!
All of that and more is why it’s going to be so hard to watch Lone Star’s new season, especially since there was so much planned. Raisani told Entertainment Weekly how hard it’s been to continue the series without one of the central characters when stories were already made up for Grace:
The first thing I would say is we all adore Sierra McClain. If not for her, we wouldn’t be talking right now. She’s a central piece to the show. She’s the voice on the phone of the title, you know what I mean? And we didn’t know [she was leaving], so we had stories [for her]. Then when this stuff happened, we had to go back to the drawing board in some storylines.
It’s likely not the first time that storylines had to be changed on 9-1-1: Lone Star because of some shakeups, but it’s still sad to know that there would have been stories involving Grace that fans will never be able to see . Rashad Raisani does know to look on the brighter side of things, and it sounds like Season 5 will still be as thrilling as ever, even without Sierra McClain:
You have no choice but to find silver linings, let me put it that way. If Sierra was willing to come back…. As I told her, ‘Any time I’m here, there’ll always be a place for you.’ I would love it, I’d beg her. But [her departure] did force us to do some unexpected things that led to some beautiful storylines.
Since there are only 12 episodes left of Lone Star, it may not be likely that McClain will be returning. It’s unknown how the show will explain her absence, but one option is for some family emergency. One of the beautiful unexpected surprises of the new season will be Grace’s dispatcher replacement, Judd’s own son, Wyatt (Jackson Pace), who has been recovering after an accident. Of course, no one will ever be able to replace Grace, but it will definitely bring for some interesting storylines and hopefully, some interesting dynamics at the Call Center between Wyatt and the other dispatchers fans have gotten to know.
It will be hard to watch 9-1-1: Lone Star without McClain and knowing that it’s the final season. There’s no telling what will happen and how Grace’s exit will play out but fans will soon find out when the series premieres its fifth and final season on Monday, September 23 at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.